Human remains discovered off CR 315 near Fort McCoy

Published: Tuesday, August 19, 2014 at 4:13 p.m.

Last Modified: Tuesday, August 19, 2014 at 4:13 p.m.

FORT McCOY — Marion County Sheriff's Office detectives are investigating human bones found in a wooded area just north of Fort McCoy.

Men found the remains just inside a berm off the road in the 19300 block of Northwest County Road 315 on Monday morning.

The identity of the remains and the cause of death have not been determined, according to a Sheriff's Office news release.

Rick Moyer, general manager for Sleepy Creek Lands, which owns the property, said workers were on the property planning to cut down trees to create a buffer when they stumbled upon the remains.

The employees called company officials, who in turn called law enforcement. Moyer said Tuesday they gave the Sheriff's Office access to the land to continue their investigation.

On Tuesday, deputies dressed in boots, T-shirts and cargo pants — some of them armed with machetes — entered the area. They searched the dense woods looking for clues or anything that might help determine why and how the body got there.

To get to the area, deputies placed a make-shift wooden bridge used to cover standing water close to the road.

The area was blocked by yellow crime scene tape, which stretched for roughly 100 yards.

Aside from the machetes, deputies had metal detectors with them.

After securing the scene on Monday, deputies worked for several hours on Tuesday, beginning in the morning, MCSO officials said. Their work ended sometime after noon with the arrival of officials from Medical Examiner's Office, who removed the remains.

At this point, sheriff's officials have not said if the bones are from a man or a woman, what clues they may have collected or whether there is anything about the remains to help identify the body.

"At this time, detectives do not have much to go on," the news release states. The MCSO is urging "anyone who may have seen something suspicious in this area over the past several weeks" to come forward.

Anyone with information can call the Sheriff's Office at 732-9111 or Crime Stoppers at 368-STOP, text a tip to 274637 using keyword 368-STOP or visit www.ocalacrimestoppers.com.

<p>FORT McCOY — Marion County Sheriff's Office detectives are investigating human bones found in a wooded area just north of Fort McCoy.</p><p>Men found the remains just inside a berm off the road in the 19300 block of Northwest County Road 315 on Monday morning.</p><p>The identity of the remains and the cause of death have not been determined, according to a Sheriff's Office news release.</p><p>Rick Moyer, general manager for Sleepy Creek Lands, which owns the property, said workers were on the property planning to cut down trees to create a buffer when they stumbled upon the remains.</p><p>The employees called company officials, who in turn called law enforcement. Moyer said Tuesday they gave the Sheriff's Office access to the land to continue their investigation.</p><p>On Tuesday, deputies dressed in boots, T-shirts and cargo pants — some of them armed with machetes — entered the area. They searched the dense woods looking for clues or anything that might help determine why and how the body got there.</p><p>To get to the area, deputies placed a make-shift wooden bridge used to cover standing water close to the road.</p><p>The area was blocked by yellow crime scene tape, which stretched for roughly 100 yards.</p><p>Aside from the machetes, deputies had metal detectors with them.</p><p>After securing the scene on Monday, deputies worked for several hours on Tuesday, beginning in the morning, MCSO officials said. Their work ended sometime after noon with the arrival of officials from Medical Examiner's Office, who removed the remains.</p><p>At this point, sheriff's officials have not said if the bones are from a man or a woman, what clues they may have collected or whether there is anything about the remains to help identify the body.</p><p>"At this time, detectives do not have much to go on," the news release states. The MCSO is urging "anyone who may have seen something suspicious in this area over the past several weeks" to come forward.</p><p>Anyone with information can call the Sheriff's Office at 732-9111 or Crime Stoppers at 368-STOP, text a tip to 274637 using keyword 368-STOP or visit www.ocalacrimestoppers.com.</p>